troppo

Took delivery of my a new 2009 cayman s last saturday and here are the specs:

2009 Cayman S
-black/black
-sport seats in leather
-auto climate
-xenons with dynamic cornering
-sport chrono
-ipod input
-heated seats
-bluetooth
-bose
-floor mats

Owner-installed options
-clear sidemarkers (thanks bumperplugs)
-19" OZ ultraleggera wheels with conti III's from tirerack (save 24#)
-silver hood crest


I have been lurking for a while on this board (been on rennlist for years) and figured I would share a pic (low quality from iphone) of my new cayman S and my inititial impressions. I plan on using this car for pleasure, some commuting, and open track days (6-7 usually per year).

I have owned 951's, 968, boxster s (2000), 993 c4s, and 993tt. I never thought that a car would compare to the 993tt but I may have found it

This car is fabulous and does everything very well. To highlight:


positives
-handling/balance (no need to discuss this further)
-great seating position (not as good as 993 but close)
-sport seats offer decent support
-bluetooth works well (but can't synch contacts yet)
-conveniences like tpms, homelink, etc...
-xenons are great
-stock exhaust sounds great
-sport chrono is great and I will use it on the track for lap times
-great headroom unlike my old boxster s with top down (felt claustrophobic)
-gas mileage (averaging 28mpg highway and that is driving in mountains)
-look of LED lights

minor negatives
-tpms is off by a few pounds
-aux input for iphone (no nav) makes you turn volume
all the way up on iphone and doesn't charge
-ride height seems a bit high


Overall, I absolutely love this car! Have I mentioned that it does everything well and I haven't even gotten it above 4k rpm yet

Cheers
Greg

zizu

Congrats! It looks great! I love the OZ. They go well with the car...

J-F-O

Congtatulations!

I've read that the Cayman is closer to the original 911 concept. Today's 997 is an excellent vehicule but evolution has taken it in a different direction.

I wonder how the Cayman would do in a Canadian winter. I'm thinking one day of buying a used one as a daily driver instead of my Audi A4 Quattro. I certainly don't expect the same snow traction and clearance due the ride hight but they seem capable for use during winter. Porsche even sells chains that can be mounted for occasional use. My 964 would still be a special occasion P-car.

The idea is to be able to use it year long. A 911 C4 could also work but the car is a bit large IMHO.

troppo

Well, I am planning on using the cayman all year round in denver.
I am going to either use the original 18" wheels for snows or do 17".
I will let you know next spring

KS-CS

A lot of Cayman owners in the north (including Canada) drive them year round. Except in deep/unplowed snow where ground clearance is an issue, I would rather drive my CS than my 4WD Expedition (though if I had an Audi Quattro, that would still probably be my first choice ).

I run Michelin Alpins in the winter, which I find satisfactory for the occasional snow use they see. If I lived in a location where the roads were frequently covered with snow throughout the winter, I would go with true snow tires.

Dave DE

Congrats on the new car, Greg! I hope you continue to enjoy it as much as I do my '06.

One thing that always amazes me about the car is how capable it is on the track, yet how comfortable and smooth it is driving home from the track.

have fun!
Dave

mooty

congrats, cay s is an INCREDIBLE car.
and i have had 993 as well. they are lookers, but without the euro gear box, i wouldn't trade any of my water pumper for them. 964 is a much better car.

Patrick E

Are you saying that your prefer the 964 to the 993? Interesting - why do you think that?

pdxjim

Surely, you have it broken in by now?

troppo

break-in is finally complete :-)

all I can say is WOW, this car is way faster and more fun than I had ever anticipated when I got it (pulls strongly even up here in denver).

So, I will share some observations after 1584 miles:

+'s
-above 4k she really comes alive and pulls strong to 7200 (yes, I have hit the rev limiter a few times)
-avg mpg is STILL above 22mpg even with 84 miles (since break-in complete) of living above 4k and even averaged 26mpg on a 500 mile trip
-this car is more exhilirating than all of my previous cars (see sig) with the exception of the 993tt
-feels much faster than any of previous cars with the exception of the 993tt
-i get more compliments and looks on this one than any of the others
-stock suspension seems quite capable for a street/track car
-build quality is on another level from my previous modern era porsche (2000 boxster s)
-bluetooth works very well
-only burned 1/3 quart of oil in first 1500 miles!
-great car for a road trip, we easily had enough room to stow gear for a 5-day trip

-'s
-aux input does not charge iphone or allow control from stereo also volume issues
-iphone won't synch contacts (bluetooth)
-sport chrono won't let you recall previous laps (need nav)
-one minor squeak near passenger window
-tpms is off by 3-4 pounds per tire
-wish I would have gotten the pse option (will upgrade exhaust at some point)
-initially wanted to lower the car slightly but it scrapes at stock ride height...

Overall, I am extremely with my decision and absolutely love this car. I do plan on picking up an old 911 (930, 964, or 993) in the next couple years to complement it, as I will always have a thing for the older air-cooled 911's.
However, I will say that this car is certainly making a strong bid for a place of its own in porsche history.

Reddy Kilowatt

I also am curious about your experience with the Cayman as a year-round driver. Will you post your ongoing updates to this thread? Please?

pedsurg

Greg: How are you connecting your iphone to the car ??

Jack

RQ_GT3

Noticed that you don't have PASM - I have a DFI PDK CS as well with no PASM and looking for suspension alternatives, somewhere between a PSS9 and a Moton system.

Are you looking into this as well?